SEIA VP Gallagher: Next Gen Energy Plan will halt solar progress in Illinois
Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) Vice President of State Affairs Sean Gallagher on Thursday critiqued the new Next Generation Energy Plan, SB 1585 Amendment 3, warning that it could halt solar growth in Illinois.
“SB 1585 continues the long history of instability and uncertainty that has held back Illinois’s solar potential,” Gallagher said. “There [is] a laundry list of problems with this legislation. They include: delayed funding of the renewable portfolio standard, instability created by irregular auctioning of renewable energy credits, the inclusion of radical changes to rate design by imposing demand charges on all customers, eliminating the benefits of net metering and placing arbitrary limits on community solar. These proposals affect all aspects of the solar industry.”
Gallagher instead suggested the implementation of the Illinois Clean Jobs Bill, which he said would create thousands of good-paying jobs for Americans, lower the cost of electricity and reduce air pollution by reducing energy based on carbon-intense fuels. Gallagher asked Congress to consider the adoption of The Illinois Clean Jobs Bill to keep the solar energy industry booming in Illinois.
The SEIA is the national trade association of the solar energy industry and advocates for policies to support the growth and expansion of solar energy access and development.
Approximately 200,000 Americans work in the solar energy industry.
